Georgia · Step-by-step licensing guide
How to start a home care agency in Georgia
To start a home care agency in Georgia, you need a Private Home Care Provider license from the Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division, under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 111-8-65. The path: form the entity and governing body, clear the GCHEXS fingerprint background checks, write the policy and procedure manual, apply to HFRD, and pass periodic inspection. Even companion or sitter-only agencies need the license.
Informational summary of Georgia regulations, not legal advice. We are not affiliated with any state agency. Verify current requirements with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD).
Step 1: What legal entity and governing body do you need?
Form the business first: most new agencies file an LLC with the Georgia Secretary of State (Articles of Organization are $100 online, $110 by mail). Then set up the governing body, which Chapter 111-8-65 makes expressly responsible for determining all of the provider’s policies and for compliance, and have it appoint an administrator with full authority and responsibility for operations.
- File the Articles of Organization with the Georgia Secretary of State; the fee is $100 filed online through eCorp, or $110 by mail ($100 plus a $10 service charge) per the Secretary of State’s form.
- The governing body determines all policies and procedures and ensures compliance with the rules (§111-8-65-.04), and appoints an administrator with full authority and responsibility for the operation (§111-8-65-.09(3)).
- Decide your service categories now: one Private Home Care Provider license covers nursing services, personal care tasks, and companion/sitter tasks (§111-8-65-.10(1)), but staffing and supervision differ by category, and each separately maintained location must be separately licensed (§111-8-65-.05).
Step 2: What background checks and staffing rules come before you serve clients?
Georgia’s long-term-care background-check law (O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq.) requires fingerprint-based GBI/FBI records checks for owners, applicants, and employees with direct access, submitted through the Georgia Criminal History Check System (GCHEXS), with the determination posted to the Caregiver Registry. Staffing rules then vary by category: Georgia-licensed nurses for nursing services, trained PCAs for personal care, and trained companions or sitters.
- Owners, applicants, and direct-access employees clear a fingerprint GBI/FBI check via GCHEXS; determinations post to the Caregiver Registry, typically within about 10 to 15 business days (O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq.).
- A PCA qualifies through nurse-aide training, a recognized competency exam, an approved credentialing program, or a 40-hour PCA training program conducted under RN direction, 20 hours before serving clients and 20 more within 6 months, with demonstrated competency before assignment (§111-8-65-.09(5)).
- Companions and sitters must be able to read, write, and follow instructions and complete training in elderly care, meal preparation, transportation, housekeeping and sanitation, home safety, medical emergencies, and infection control (§111-8-65-.09(5)).
- Nursing services and personal care for medically frail or compromised clients must be supervised by a Georgia-licensed RN (or LPN for personal care), so plan for a supervising nurse even in a non-medical agency (§111-8-65-.10(2)).
Step 3: What goes in the written policy and procedure manual?
Chapter 111-8-65 makes the governing body responsible for all of the provider’s policies (§111-8-65-.04) and enumerates the specific ones, and HFRD inspects the written set; the state supplies no manual or template. Your manual must cover scope of services, service agreements, recordkeeping, personnel qualifications and training, daily documentation, supervision, service plans, the quality improvement program, and client rights. Every mandated policy, with its citation:
Governing body that determines all of the provider’s policies and procedures and ensures compliance, and appoints an administrator with full authority and responsibility for operations
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.04; §111-8-65-.09(3)
Scope-of-services policy: written policies defining the private home care services offered and the types of clients served
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(1)
Service agreements: a written agreement with each client (or responsible party) by the second visit or within 7 calendar days, covering the services, frequency and duration, charges and billing, client rights, the provider’s and the state licensing authority’s contact information, and any authorization to access funds or a vehicle
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(2)
Recordkeeping: separate client records, personnel records, and complaint/incident files, all retained at least 5 years, with confidentiality limits on disclosure
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(4)
Personnel qualifications: Georgia-licensed nurses for nursing services; a qualified PCA (nurse-aide training, a recognized competency exam, an approved credentialing program, or a 40-hour PCA training program conducted under RN direction, 20 hours before serving clients and 20 more within 6 months) with demonstrated competency before assignment; and trained companions/sitters
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(5)
Staff orientation and training: orientation covering policies, client rights and complaints, duties, reporting and medical emergencies, and TB/hepatitis exposure reporting, plus a minimum of 8 clock hours of training annually
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(6)
Tuberculosis screening documented on employment and annually thereafter, kept in the personnel record
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.09(4)
Fingerprint-based criminal records checks for owners, applicants, and employees with direct access, run through GCHEXS with results posted to the Caregiver Registry
O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq. (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.06 records check)
Daily service documentation: written policies for documenting the services actually performed for each client each day
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.10(3)
Supervision: an RN supervises nursing services and personal care for medically frail or compromised clients, with supervisory home visits at least every 92 days for personal care and at least every 122 days for companion/sitter services
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.10(2)
Service plans completed by the service supervisor within 7 working days of starting service, reviewed at least every 62 days for nursing plans and at each supervisory visit otherwise
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.11
Quality improvement program that monitors program performance and client outcomes and documents the receipt and resolution of client complaints and any corrective actions
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.10(4)
Client rights provided in writing (participation in the plan of service, notice of changes, accepting or refusing services, charges, the supervisor’s contact information, confidentiality, respect for property, and a copy of the most recent licensure inspection report on request) with a complaint procedure and written notice of the department’s address, phone, and licensing/complaint role
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. §111-8-65-.12
Every policy above, written out to Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 111-8-65 (O.C.G.A. §31-7-300 et seq.) with the citation beside it:
Step 4: How do you submit the application?
Apply to HFRD on the department’s forms with the application fee, the license fee set by the Board of Community Health, and a records-check application for the owner, describing the services you will offer and the geographic area you will serve (§111-8-65-.06). Fees are published in the current Private Home Care Application and paid on the HFRD Payment Portal, and a separately licensed application and fee are required for each location.
- The application fee and license fee are set by the Board of Community Health; confirm the current amounts on the Private Home Care Application and pay them on the HFRD Payment Portal rather than trusting a third-party figure (§111-8-65-.06).
- Georgia may issue a provisional license to a new provider on a conditional basis while it demonstrates compliance (§111-8-65-.05).
Step 5: What happens at inspection, and after?
HFRD inspects Private Home Care Providers periodically (§111-8-65-.08). If the inspection report cites violations, the provider must submit an acceptable written plan of correction within 10 days of receiving the report, and may offer an explanation or dispute the findings in that response. Georgia publishes no guaranteed processing timeline, so the completeness of your application, records checks, and written policies drives your start date.
- The plan-of-correction deadline is firm: an acceptable written plan is due within 10 days of receiving the inspection report (§111-8-65-.08).
- Keep supervisory-visit records current from day one: personal care to medically frail clients needs an RN/LPN supervisory home visit at least every 92 days, and companion/sitter services at least every 122 days (§111-8-65-.10(2)).
Preparing for the survey? Everything the surveyor verifies, document by document.
Georgiasurvey checklist →What it costs to start a home care agency in Georgia
| Item | Cost | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Entity formation (Georgia LLC, Articles of Organization) | $100 online | Georgia Secretary of State; $110 by mail ($100 plus a $10 service charge) per the CD 030 form. |
| State application and license fee | Set by the Board of Community Health | An application fee plus a license fee (§111-8-65-.06); published in the current Private Home Care Application and paid on the HFRD Payment Portal. |
| Each additional licensed location | Separate application and fee | Each separately maintained location must be separately licensed (§111-8-65-.05). |
| Fingerprint background checks (GCHEXS) | Varies, see GCHEXS | Per-person GBI/FBI fingerprint records-check fees under O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq. are set by the check system, not by the rule. |
| Supervising nurse (RN/LPN) | Varies, see your hire | Nursing and personal-care supervision requires a Georgia-licensed nurse (§111-8-65-.10(2)); cost is set by your staffing, not the rule. |
| Policy & procedure manual | $149 | Our made-to-order Chapter 111-8-65 manual; start-up consultants charge $1,000 to $4,000 for the same document. |
Only the figures with a citation are verified; “varies” and “set by the Board” cells are determined by the named program or the current application, not by Chapter 111-8-65. Fees change, so confirm each with HFRD and the Georgia Secretary of State before relying on it.
Common mistakes that stall Georgia applications
Assuming a companion or sitter-only agency is exempt
Georgia licenses companion and sitter services as one of the three Private Home Care Provider categories (§111-8-65-.10(1)(c)), and the §111-8-65-.07 exemptions do not cover a companion/sitter business. Treating Georgia like Pennsylvania or Maryland, where companion-only care is exempt, is a costly misread.
Budgeting no supervising nurse
Nursing services and personal care for medically frail or compromised clients must be supervised by a Georgia-licensed RN or LPN, with supervisory home visits at least every 92 days (§111-8-65-.10(2)). A non-medical agency that plans no nurse is the most common cost surprise.
Skipping the GCHEXS fingerprint checks
O.C.G.A. §31-7-350 et seq. requires fingerprint GBI/FBI records checks through GCHEXS for owners, applicants, and direct-access employees, with determinations posted to the Caregiver Registry. A records-check application for the owner is part of the license application itself (§111-8-65-.06).
Bringing a generic template manual to inspection
HFRD inspects your written set against Chapter 111-8-65 specifically: the §111-8-65-.09(2) service-agreement contents, the §111-8-65-.10(2) supervisory-visit intervals, the §111-8-65-.10(4) quality improvement program, and the §111-8-65-.12 client-rights and complaint requirements. National templates keyed to no rule chapter miss those, and the plan-of-correction clock is only 10 days.
A fraction of the start-up consultant’s price.
Start-up consultants charge $1,000–$4,000 to assemble these documents by hand, and instant template shops are instant because they sell everyone the same generic document. Every manual is made to order: built from your agency details, organized to your state's rules, and delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. Founding pricing is limited to the first 25 agencies; after that the State P&P Manual is $199.
Delivered within 3 business days, with a full refund anytime before delivery. This is a self-prepared operational document you adopt for your own agency, not legal advice, and not a guarantee of license approval.
Georgia licensing FAQ
How much does it cost to start a home care agency in Georgia?
Forming a Georgia LLC costs $100 online ($110 by mail). The Private Home Care Provider application then includes an application fee and a license fee set by the Board of Community Health, published in the current Private Home Care Application, plus fingerprint records-check fees. Budget separately for a supervising nurse and the written policy manual HFRD inspects.
How long does it take to get a home care license in Georgia?
The Healthcare Facility Regulation Division publishes no guaranteed processing time. Providers are inspected periodically (§111-8-65-.08), and Georgia may issue a provisional license to a new provider on a conditional basis (§111-8-65-.05), so timing depends on your application’s completeness, the GCHEXS records checks, and HFRD’s review and inspection scheduling.
Does a companion or sitter-only agency need a license in Georgia?
Yes. Georgia treats companion or sitter tasks as one of the three licensed Private Home Care Provider categories (§111-8-65-.10(1)(c)), unlike states that exempt companion-only care. Unless you fall under a specific §111-8-65-.07 exemption, a companion/sitter business must hold the license and meet the training and supervision rules for that category.
Do I need a policy and procedure manual in Georgia?
Yes. Chapter 111-8-65 makes the governing body responsible for all of the provider’s policies (§111-8-65-.04) and enumerates the specific ones across administration, personnel, services, supervision, quality improvement, and client rights. HFRD inspects the written set, and the state supplies no manual or template.
Can I use a generic template manual?
You can try, but HFRD inspects your policies against Chapter 111-8-65 specifically: the §111-8-65-.09(2) service-agreement contents, the §111-8-65-.10(2) 92-day and 122-day supervisory-visit intervals, the §111-8-65-.10(4) quality improvement program, and the §111-8-65-.12 client-rights and complaint notices. Generic national templates keyed to no rule chapter miss those, and you have only 10 days to submit a plan of correction.
Comparing states? Fees, timelines, and mandated policies for every state we cover, side by side.
Home care license requirements by state →Sources
- dch.georgia.gov/divisionsoffices/hfrd/facilities-provider-information/private-home-care-program
- rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/111-8-65
- dch.georgia.gov/office-inspector-general/georgia-criminal-history-check-system-gchexs
- www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/georgia/department-111/chapter-111-8/subject-111-8-65
- sos.ga.gov/sites/default/files/forms/Filing%20Template%20-%20Articles%20of%20Organization%20for%20LLC%20(CD%20030).pdf
- georgia.gov/register-llc
Last verified: July 15, 2026. Informational summary, not legal advice; not affiliated with any state agency. Regulations and fees change, so confirm current requirements with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation Division (HFRD) before relying on them.
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